Accidents, personal injury and insurance claims are here to stay. No matter how far into the 21st century Americans decide to drive (unless by the early 22nd century we are all circling in our own personal spaceship) motor vehicle accidents will continue to pile up; with no end in sight!
- There are more than 200,000,000 licensed drivers in the United States. (As of 2003, we are close to 7 million car accidents annually, with more than 3.5 million injuries.)
- Car accidents cost society approximately $ 4,900 per second. That’s about $ 25,000 in the time it took to read this fact.
- Current records show that most American drivers will have a close car accident 1-3 times per month and will be in a collision of some kind an average of every 5-8 years, and these records also indicate that teens with license is 22 times more. Those who are 65 years of age or older are likely to receive a speeding ticket.
- In 1896, there were only four registered automobiles in the entire United States. Two of them collided with each other in St. Louis.
- By 2025 there will be 33 million people age 70 and older in the United States. This segment of the population will grow 2.5 as fast as the total population. They will make up the largest percentage of “left turn” and “rear” accidents. Slowly but surely, older people have developed a higher accident rate than teens. (This, over time, will seriously impact the pocket of a typical senior citizen.) And also, by 2025, the total costs for car accidents in the United States will exceed 450 billion dollars.
- The loneliest tree in the world is found in an oasis in the Tenere desert in Central Africa. There is no other tree standing within 31 miles. In 1960, it was crashed by a truck.
- The updated statistics clearly reflect that 1 in 5 Americans is involved in an alcohol-related car accident at some point in their lives and the most common day for car accident injuries is Saturday. Sunday is the second.
FIVE CRUCIAL MEDICAL EVENTS THAT HAVE PASSED SLOWLY BUT SAFELY. THESE WILL SERIOUSLY (AND FOREVER) IMPACT THE VALUE OF PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS IN THE YEARS TO COME:
- Records prove that a car accident as low as 5 MPH can cause a “whiplash-type” injury.
- Symptoms arising from an injury sustained in a car accident do not necessarily present immediately after an accident.
- Medical research and clinical experience have accumulated enough information to show that delaying an injury symptom is the norm.
- Studies have established that delaying a symptom does not eliminate the possibility of serious injury.
- It has been proven that people can continue to have symptoms for many months (even years!) After a car accident. Furthermore, approximately 75% of them remain symptomatic for a minimum of 6 months after the accident. (And updated statistics reveal that between the first and second years after an accident, more than 20% of those injured actually have their symptoms worse.)
Copyright (c) 2003 by Daniel G. Baldyga. All rights reserved
DISCLAIMER: For the sole purpose of this article, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT FACTOIDS has been created to help individuals understand the motor vehicle accident claim process.
Dan Baldyga makes no warranty of any kind; NI to substitute for an attorney, insurance adjuster, claims advisor, or the like. When such professional help is desired, it is THE INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSIBILITY to obtain such services.
Dan Baldyga worked for more than 30 years as an insurance adjuster, supervisor, manager, and trial assistant. Since his retirement, he has written 3 highly successful “How To” insurance claim books. His latest: AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How to Assess and Settle Your Loss) which includes BASE, Baldyga’s Car Accident Settlement Assessment Formula for Determining the Value of “Pain and Suffering”, is can be found on the Internet at http: //www.autoaccidentclaims.com.